On the mend

I’m slowly getting better, I can now bend my arm up pretty much as far as I could before.  I can straighten it in some planes but not in others and I can’t rotate it or put too much pressure on the muscles in my fore-arm. It still hurts and I still need to be careful.  I have been able to get out on the bike at last though.

Monday, Jayne and I rode out to Bonds for an ice cream.  It ended up being the nicest day of the week weather wise and about 16 miles was just right for my first proper ride.

Tuesday we went up to the Lakes, just mooching around the shops.  Wednesday I had to stay in to get new faster broadband switched over.  Waited in all day, they finally did it at 3:30.

Thursday we did a lot.  Jayne and I rode out to Barton Grange in the morning, stopping for a nice cake.  26 miles covered.  Then in the evening me and Jamie rode to the Plough for me to initiate him into Bomber and Garlic Chicken, which he enjoyed.

Not done much since, mostly reading.  Just finished Embassytown by China Mieville.  Very weird and hard going in places but always good.  I’v also just finished Simon Morden’s Theories of Flight, second in the three part Samuil Petrovich series.  Set in a post apocalypse London of the near future, it offers some thoughts on science, society, AI and politics.

Miles for the last 4 weeks:

0

5.5

5.5

60

Total for the year so far 3375

Shortfall – 535

Cheers

Tim

Still Healing

My knee is healing pretty well, just the deepest of the cuts still scabbed over. It still hurts if I kneel down, but otherwise OK.

My elbow is also much better. I almost have full movement back but it aches. On Saturday I tried to do some DIY and while trying to push a cable back into a clip, my arm spasmed and locked up for a second. Apparently I went white for a bit. Afterwards it was OK though. My little finger and ring finger go a bit tingly if I do too much.

I rode out to the pub on Sunday evening. It was OK apart from the right turn into the pub when I tried to look over my shoulder and only had my left hand on the bars. It seems I can't control the bike with my bad arm.

It was Jamie's 18th birthday on Sunday. Can't believe my youngest is 18! Got him an xbox and guitar hero. Spent most of Sunday trying to get xbox Live working through my router. How non-IT people cope with these things I don't know. It took all my knowledge to get it going.

Anyway 5.5 miles for the week. At least its something.

Zero Miles

Still recovering. My arm is much better, although it did lock up completely on Saturday night. I can now bend it enough to be able to touch my face, so I can almost eat normally. I can't put too much pressure on it still, so cutting food is a bit of a problem, but manageable if I take my time. I thought my knee was healing nicely, a lot of the scabs are already coming off. However, the main deep cut feels very tight. I did some DIY yesterday and couldn't kneel down without it feeling sore. This morning I managed to open up the worst bit getting out of bed. It didn't start bleeding, just cracked the scab open. I'll have to see how it goes. Probably another week off the bike though.

Ouch!

My mileage target will slip for the next few weeks.  I think I may have broken my elbow!

Me and Simon plus Ian, Ian’s nephew over from California, Daniel and Ian’s future son in law, Ross went up to Grizedale yesterday.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and perfect mountain biking conditions.  We decided to do the Fox, Greythwaite etc. to get away from the busy areas.  The first few descents went really well.  The tricky bit through the wall had filled in a bit and was rideable. Dan struggled a bit, using SPD’s for the first time.  The drop down to Satterthwaite was fantastic twisty singletrack through the bracken and grass and occasional bramble.

Ross and Dan were knackered, so we decided to head for the visitor centre and maybe do a bit of the North Face back to the car. 

On a not very tricky but quick section, I tried to duck round another bramble across the trail.  I dropped my front wheel off the path, pinging myself over the handlebars and slamming into the ground on my right knee and left wrist.  It jarred me up my fore arm and I felt my elbow go funny.  When I tried to straighten it, it wouldn’t move, then suddenly crunched  into place.  I could bend it but occasionally it would lock out, as if the tendons were in the wrong place, before returning to normal.  We carried on back to a fire road where we decided to call it quits and head home.

Simon’s wife and family were nearby with their caravan, so we headed there.  The cut to my knee was far deeper than it first looked.  Simo9n, and experienced first aider, cleaned me up and steri stripped the cuts. 

I was OK to drive home, but ached and only had limited movement in my arm when I got home.  Jayne said I had to go to A&E to get it checked out, so off we went.  4 hours later the doctor told me that the x-rays were inconclusive but showed “some degree of fracture”!  The treatment is the same regardless, arm in a sling, rest and ibuprofen.  So I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself.  Today the elbow has swelled up quite a bit and is quite achy. My knee is much better, the cuts are still a bit weepy but seem clean and healthy and knitting together.  Be a week or two before I’m back on the bike.

Miles for the week – 133

Running total – 3304

Shortfall – 146

Cheers

Tim

Week Off

I’ve been off all week.  Its been a mixed experience.

Sunday, I went out with Ian and Joe, to Chipping and back via the back of Beacon Fell.  The wind coming back was horrendous but we made good time.

Monday, Jayne and I rode out on the tandem to Garstang.  We needed porcini, proscutto and papardelle pasta for a recipe we were going to make.  Booth’s in Garstang were bound to have these.  They had none!  In the end (Wednesday) we used ordinary dry mushrooms, lardons and snapped in half lasagne sheets.  It was great.

Tuesday I was supposed to ride round the Trough with Ian, but only got 10 miles up the road before being recalled to home.  the home stretch was done at an average of 20mph though.

Wednesday, Jayne and I drove pout to Chipping, then set off for Scorton.  This was several climbs and quite hard, even if only 30 miles.

Thursday was a bit damp, so we had a stay at home day.  Jayne went bowling in the evening and I went out to the Plough with Karl, Alison and Ian.

Today we' drove up to Stavely and rode out to Levens and back.  Considering it is the busiest part of the Lakes, it was surprisingly quiet.  A good 30 miles of country lanes

Off mountain biking tomorrow!

OK but not great

I’ve had an OK week.  Only OK, not great.  Work has been difficult, looks like \I’m going to lose my best contractor and my best permie.  I can’t compete with what they’ve been offered but it will leave a massive hole I’ll struggle to fill.

Mileage is mainly just work and back, not even every day.  Friday I satyed in to get my hands free kit fitted in my car.  This has been a nightmare to arrange.  I put the order in Christmas!  First of all they sent me a Parrot kit.  I rang up to arrange installation only to find that it wasn’t certified with my phone.  It would work with it and Parrot recommended it but Vodaphone didn’t certify it.  So I couldn’t have it.  So I ordered a different kit and was sent a Berry Uni-8 kit.  I rang to get that installed.  Sorry you need a de-install as well as an install voucher to take the old kit out.  Another order for the de-install, for which the voucher eventually arrived.  I rang again.  Sorry the separate de-install and install vouchers are only valid if you’re taking a kit out of one car and installing in a different car, you need a combined de-install/install voucher!  Eventually I got sent what should have been the right voucher, I rang again.  Have I got all the necessary parts?  Well I think so, I’ve been sent a box load of stuff.  Not so!  When the engineer arrived I handed him the box and he asked where was the rest of the stuff!  I said that’s all I’ve got, so he told me to ring the installation order line.  The woman there was really snotty, saying that I’d confirmed I had all the kit when I booked, I said I had a box of stuff, how was I to know it wasn’t everything I needed.  The engineer took the phone off me and said “Just sent the stuff” and hung up.  He could use some of the existing kit and all I needed was a snap in cradle I can fit myself.  6 months and I still don’t have a car kit fully working.

Jayne and I had a lazy weekend, we went out on the tandem yesterday, just into St Anne’s to go to Apple.  Liam got me a £20 voucher for fathers day, so I thought ‘d get a new rear mech for the Ribble.  I’ve put the compact double from Jayne’s Boardman on it, but the 105 rear mech doesn’t quite have the capacity, so I bought a Sora long cage mech.   Fitted it this afternoon and went for a couple of short trial rides.  Seems pretty good.  I was worried that the 9 speed mech wouldn’t work well with the 7 speed chain and cassette, but it seems fine.  Need to try it out over Boundary Hill.  When I first bought the Ribble it had a 21-12 block and 42/52 front rings.  I could get over Boundary Hill on that without much trouble.  Now I’m wondering if a 34 front and 28 rear are low enough?  Old age!

I’ve not reached my weekly mileage target again.  Need to do better next week, but I’ in Bristol for 4 days so probably a poor week again.  I need to go and do some long days, 70-100 milers to get back on track.

Miles for the week – 101

Year to date – 2973

Shortfall – 132

Cheers

Tim

Looking Better

I’m gradually clawing back the missed miles.  Last week 175, this week 164.  There’s no secret formula, just getting out more and for longer.  I should be at 3000 miles today.  I’m not!

My regular crew are all out in France, cycling from the north down to Carpentras, spending a week there, then cycling back.  I would love to have gone.  Karl has sent me some envy inducing photos.  I have had a good few weeks though.  Last week I topped up my commuter miles with a couple of trips out to Beacon Fell.  This week,a colleague was up from Bristol so we took him for a spin through the lanes, again to Beacon Fell.  Jayne has had a cold for the last few weeks and is just getting over it so we’ve done a few short miles,out to the pub and back this last week.

yesterday Simon and I went up to Gisburn Forest and rode the MTB trail there.  It was really good but I bottled a couple of sections, especially the north shore type stuff.  We did ride hully gully though, which was amazing.  Those berms are 30 ft from the bottom of the dips.  It took some nerve for me to do these but I really enjoyed it once I got over the fear.

Last night we went to Simon and Catherine's for a really nice meal.  Moule Mariner (SP?) followed by pasta with smoked kipper and then lemon sponge cake and  strawberries.  Delicious.

Today Jayne and I have done 30 miles of fairly flat lanes out to Barton Grange and back, then down to the pub.

All in all, I’m raking back the deficit and with a couple more weeks like these should get to a point where I am over target and can afford to miss a week or so, as long as work doesn’t get in the way.

Cheers

Tim

week – 164

To date – 2872

Short fall - 118